The Mighty Cherry Blossom
by FluffleNuff
Summary: What if Naruto and Sasuke were ordinary? What if Sakura Haruno held both the nine-tailed beast and a desire to kill her sister? Twist of plot.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Came up with this idea when me and my friends were discussing Sakura… Hope you like it!

Chapter 1: Cherry Blossom

Sakura Haruno walked on in silence, alone. She did not bother to look at anyone else, keeping her eyes solely on the ground.

"Sakura! My beautiful youthful blossom! Are you free tonight? Would you like to go to dinner with me?" an enthusiastic voice rang out.

Sakura rolled her eyes and looked at green spandex clad ninja. "No Lee, I would NOT like to go out with you. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever."

Lee grinned and gave her the 'good guy' sign. "Alright my beautiful flower! When you are ready, let me know!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and continued on her way. She had no time to find love, there was only one reason for her existence, one reason for the nine-tailed beast that lives inside of her. She will avenge her clan and make her sister pay. Sakura closed her eyes in hatred as the memories floated back to her.

"_Mum? Dad? Where are you?" young Sakura called out as she ran through her house, the whole of the Haruno complex being unusually quiet. Sakura tried to stop the fear that was rising in her chest. "Mum? Dad?" she called out again, still scared. Sakura tripped over something and fell face first on top of it. As she struggled to get up, she was paralyzed in shock. She had tripped over her mother's body. "MUM!" in her shocked state, she spied another body, holding her mother in a tight embrace. Both bodies were bleeding profusely from their chests. "MUM! DAD! Who… who did this?" she asked, hands clenching into fists as she tried to recall who would be able to take out the talented Haruno clan. "Sakura?" she heard that comforting familiar voice and ran into her sister's arms. However, her sister did not hold her close and whisper words of comfort. Instead, she slapped Sakura across the face. Sakura yelped and dropped to the ground. She looked up at her older sister, the one that she had respected since young, the gentle and kind Airisu Haruno who was always there when Sakura needed her. "Airisu? Did you…?" Sakura had to ask, but was terrified to know the answer. Airisu flashed a cocky grin at Sakura and said, "Yes, Sakura. But I will let you live. Not that I love you, Kami forbid. Become strong, nourish your hatred, and one day, join me when you have mastered the nine-tailed fox." _

Sakura clenched her fists and almost barreled into the door of the academy. Shaking her head to clear it of the flashbacks, she sat down and folded her arms across the table, not making eye contact and looking at the front. As she heard the other children chatter and laugh, her heart ached painfully. What wouldn't she give to be normal, to be happy, to be beast-free and still have a clan?

"Squad Seven. Sakura Haruno." Sakura merely nodded, finding herself eager to meet her teammates, an emotion rare for her.

"Naruto Uzumaki." Sakura shot a glance at the enthusiastic blonde boy. He seemed average, normal, nothing struck her as extroadinary. When he saw her looking, he blushed and grinned, waving at her. She rolled her eyes.

"And Sasuke Uchiha." Sakura saw Naruto groan and hit his head dramatically. The raven haired boy kept a smooth, neutral expression on his face but his eyes kept darting towards her, as if wondering if she was noticing him. Sakura sighed. She had hoped for better, stronger teammates. But looking around at all the other Gennin, they were all of the same level. These two would have to do. She stood up and left quickly,wanting to squeeze in more training before she met her Sensi the following day.

"Hey Sakura." she heard a low voice rumble behind her. She rolled her eyes. "Trying too hard to be sexy, Uchiha?" she asked, not bothering to turn around. She heard him stumble before regaining his composure. "I just thought that you might want to go for a walk together... You know, get to know each other." Sakura thouht for awhile, then nodded, signaling him to join her. His grin was slightly unnerving, but Sakura had to remind herself strictly that this boy was her teammate and she was just going to put up with him for the rest of her Genin and Chuunin life. Great.

"So... Sakura. What do you think of Naruto?" She smirked slightly. No wonder the emotionless boy had seemed slightly out of character. Did that blonde idiot really think he could fool her? She was a Haruno for Kami's sake, a master at Chakra signatures. _This will be interesting, _she thought. "Well, Naruto's alright I guess. But Sasuke..." she stopped short and snaked her hands around his waist. "You've always... attracted me. So charming... So... sensational." She lowered her eyelids and lifted her lips to brush against his... And knocked him back five feet with a punch.

'Sasuke' poofed into white smoke and turned into Naruto, who looked confused and befuddled, staring at her in shock. Sakura smirked. "That's what you get for messing with me, Uzumaki." She said then sauntered off, eager to get her training done.

**A/N **yay! Should be uploading Chapter 2 soon, stay tuned!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Okay here it is! The second chapter! On request, I shall minimize the use of rolling of eyes.

"Where is HE? Everyone has already gone out on some mission with their senseis. But Nooooo, our's has to come late!"

"Oh just sit down Naruto. You're being annoying."

Sakura steeled herself, rubbing her temples. This squabbling was giving her a serious headache. She just hoped that their Sensei would come soon and save her from her misery.

"What are you doing NOW?"

"Heehee, this is what he gets for coming late!"

Sakura just looked up in time to see a duster fall on a silver-haired, masked face. She supressed a smile as Naruto burst out laughing. THIS was the professional Jonin? Falling for a trick by a class clown. Who'd have thought?

"Hmm... My first impression... You're all idiots."

Sakura just smirked. "Says the Jonin who was hit on the head with a duster. I don't think WE'RE the idiots here."

The Jonin just studied her, making her feel slightly uncomfortable. However, she just threw back her shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Well, so what are we going to do?"

-Now TO THE ROOF!-

"So let's introduce ourselves. Starting with your name, things you like, things you hate, hobbies and your dreams for the future. I'll start. My name's Kakashi Hattake. Things I like and things I hate... I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future... Never really thought about it. As for hobbies, I have alot of hobbies."

_How informative_, thought Sakura. But Naruto had already started.

"Believe it! I'm NARUTO UZUMAKI! I like instant ramen in a cup, and I REALLY like the ramen Iruka sensei got me, at the Ichiraku noodle shop. But I hate the three minutes you have to wait after you pour the water into the cup. My hobby is eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them. And my dream is... TO BE THE GREATEST HOKAGE! Just like my dad! Then the whole village will know me as Naruto Uzumaki, not the Hokage's son!"

_Gluttonous, but still strong at heart_, she thought as Sasuke started to speak. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I like training with my brother and father, and I do like... Certain girls," he said, winking at Sakura, making her groan. "I hate annoying brats who think highly of themselves," he said, shooting a pointed look at Naruto. "My dreams for the future include being a top-rank Anbu Black-op!"

Sakura sighed. She was no good at giving introductions. "I'm Sakura Haruno. I do not like anything or anyone in particular, but I do like the sense of power the nine-tails gives me. I hate it when people judge me based on the monster inside of me, not who i am. But oh well. And I have a goal, not a dream, to harness my power and eliminate a certain someone."

She could feel that she had killed the mood. But she just kept her expression neutral. After a long pause, Kakashi smiled. "Well, meet me in the forest tomorrow morning for a survival exercise. And if you know what's good for you... Don't eat breakfast."

Sakura left the other two grumbling about the unfairness of being made to re-take a graduation test, and went home, eating a heavy dinner. _You're not the boss of me, Kakashi Hattake. _She thought bitterly.

**A/N:** Yay! Writing next chapter now. No rolling of eyes! \m/


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Yay! Next chapter! (Oh yeah PS I dont own Naruto) I am trying to develop a Haruno style of fighting, so I decided that she should use chakra :D

"Where is Kakashi Sensei?" Naruto asked, stomach grumbling. Sakura smiled. She ate her dinner AND her breakfast. She was sure whatever Kakashi Hatake had planned would not be enough to allow her food to make a reappearance.

"Just shut up and wait would you, Naruto?" Sasuke grumbled.

"Hello." Kakashi's voice made all of them turn towards him. He quickly explained the rules of the exercise. "It's simple really, all you've got to do is take one of these bells. There are only two bells. You get one, you're through. You don't you're not. Simple?" When he spotted the blank look Naruto was giving him, he explained further. "Only 9 out of all the graduated students would actually be able to become real Genin. So in this way, I can weed out the weaker ones, and keep the strong ones." Sakura grinned. Finally, she could show off what all those years of talent, all that nurtured hatred, she can finally be recognised. She didn't care if it was Sasuke or Naruto to get the other bell, she was going to get one of those bells, and nothing would stand in her way.

"Ready? GO!" From the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Naruto charge at Kakashi. She sighed, then sought cover in the trees. She watched as Kakashi chewed Naruto out as he made stupid move after stupid move. When she saw an opening, she closed her eyes and focused solely on Kakashi's chakra. It was stable and strong, like a mountain, but every mountain has cracks, she just has to find them. Her bows furrowed as she concentrated on each section of his chakra, trying to unravel it like a large, flowing piece of yarn. Soon enough, she spotted a weak spot. Focusing all her power into the slight break in the chakra, an image slowly formed in her mind. A younger version of Kakashi stood grinning next to another boy, his image sharpening. Sakura shook her head slightly. This was no time to go prying. She had to act, now. She manipulated her chakra into sharp needles and directed them to his weak spot. The professional Jonin wasn't as vulnerable as she had hoped, but he still was stunned for a fraction of a second, just enough for her to land a kick in. Kakashi recovered quickly and caught her fist as she tried to land a blow to her head. She magnified her chakra in her right fist and smashed it to the ground. Kakashi jumped back a split second before he would have lost his balance and revealed his Sharingan. Sakura smirked. _Cant handle a Haruno,_ Kakashi-**sensei**? she thought mockingly.

"Wow! Look at Sakura fight!" Naruto exclaimed from the bushes he was supposed to be hiding in. Sasuke gave a non commital grunt and jumped off to help Sakura.

Sakura concentrated on manipulating Kakashi's chakra, trying to find kinks in the strong energy, to weaken him. She could easily get get Kakashi to be momentarily stunned or bound, but he could just as easily break free. Every time she thought she could get in a blow, Kakashi would easily deflect it. She ground her teeth. This was getting annoying. She had to amp it up. She quickly bolted away to seek cover from Kakashi, but still in range to examine his chakra. Focusing on the memory that she had shunned earlier, she memorized every detail of the raven-haired boy's face. She had no idea who he was or what he had done, but he was the weak link in Kakashi's chakra. After she had finished her examination, she focused all her energy on using her own chakra to shut off Kakashi's. Once the disturbance has occured, she put the image of the boy in his mind. Kakashi stood rooted to the ground, his eyes wide and slightly scared. Sakura took her chance and threw her kunai with as much force as she could muster at him. She felt a sense of satisfaction when it hit him, but groaned when he turned into a log. _So he wasn't as weak as I thought._ As she prepared to spring towards higher ground to look for any sign of him, a hand grabbed her ankle. A small yelp escaped her as she was pulled underground. As she was totally unprepared for the attack, she found herself buried up to her neck in soil. She gritted her teeth as Kakashi dusted off his hands casually, then walked away. Sakura stopped herself from screaming in frustration. She will not give Kakashi that satisfaction.

"Having a little troulble, Sakura-**chan**?" She rolled her eyes.

"Shut up Uchiha. Just leave me alone."

"Really Sakura? You don't need any... help?"

A muscle under her eye twitched. Who was this puny kid to mock her like that. She smirked at him. "Stand back, Uchiha."

He returned her smirk and took a step back. She conjured up her chakra, willed it to build up, then let it loose with an explosion. Sasuke stumbled backwards as the ground under his feet exploded. However, he didn't manage to get away in time, and fell into the crevice that Sakura's explosion had made. Laughing, Sakura looked at the now buried Sasuke and placed her foot on his head, leaning on her knee. "Need help, Uchiha?" Laughing to herself, she left to look for Kakashi. _Nothing would stop me now_, she thought, _It's payback time._

__A/N: :D please leave a review if you think it's worthy!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Wow. I have really neglected this story. Sorry!

Sakura took a while to creep into her sensei's subconscious mind. She had to use a small amount of chakra to get the job done, and it wasn't easy. She launched a kunai at him and then read his chakra signatures. Immediately recognising his brain pattern, she subsituted behind Kakashi. She swung at him with another kunai, and Kakashi barely had time to deflect her blow before another kunai came at him. As Sakura anticipated Kakashi's movements, she sensed her sensei struggling to keep up. _Just one last blow..._ She gathered all her strength into her right fist and sent it flying towards Kakashi's stomach. His eyes widened as her fist made contact with his stomach. Sakura almost crowed with delight. "Kakashi Hatake... My, what a disappointment." Her mouth curved into a half smirk as she reached down to get a bell.

She didn't react fast enough to the changes in Kakashi's chakra. Quick as lightning, he grabbed her wrist and threw her over his head. As she soared through the air, she noticed Naruto peeking out of the bushes, eyes intent on her, waiting for a signal. She nodded slightly at him before landing on the ground. Together, Sakura and Naruto charged Kakashi. Sakura vaguely realised that Kakashi wasn't reading that annoying book of his anymore. Under the training of the Fourth Hokage, Naruto's skills were respectable. When combined with her own power, the two could easily overpower Kakashi. She quickly infused chakra into several kunai and launched them at him. Kakashi simply laughed as he dodged the Kunai, while engaging in hand-tohand combat with Naruto. _NOW!_ Sakura thought as she mentally yanked her kunai forward. Although they did not impale Kakashi as she had hoped, it caused a distraction - a distraction lengthy enough for Sakura to swoop in and grab a bell, Naruto the other. Smirking, she eyed the Jonin. She knew what this exercise was about from the beginning. Maybe Naruto and Sasuke weren't smart enough to figure it out, but she knew that he wanted to pit them against each other, forcing them to work individually so that they can learn the importance of teamwork. But now that Sakura and Naruto each got a bell and Sasuke didn't, what would Kakashi do? Sakura kept smirking as the Jonin started walking away. "Let's go get Sasuke, shall we?"

"SASUKE! ME AND SAKURA EACH GOT A BELL! WHICH MEANS THAT WE'RE GRADUATING AND YOUR NOT! HAHAHAHAH!"

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah, Uchiha. Looks like you're going back to the academy."

"Hold on a minute, guys!" Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke all turned to look at the silver-haired jonin. "When did I say that Sasuke isn't becoming a Genin?" He ignored the look of disbelief on all of their faces. "The idea was that teamwork can get you the bells. Sakura and Naruto, by working together, you overpowered me and now understand the importance of teamwork. Sasuke, you too understand the importance as you did not obtain a bell by working alone. So, all three of you have graduated! Congratulations!"

"You have GOT to be KIDDING ME!" The words flew out of Sakura's mouth before she could stop them. "I fought my best just trying to get one of those stinking bells while Uchiha was buried underground and your telling me he graduated? I'm sorry, EXCUSE ME IF I'M BEING LOGICAL! So as long as we get some stupid concept, we can graduate? Then why didn't I just sit in the ground like Uchiha?"

"Sakura, you're making a big fuss out of nothing." Kakashi said, controlling his voice.

Sakura screamed inwardly. Nothing? She worked so hard to get those bells and some lazy dude just graduated while doing virtually nothing. It wasn't fair! Then again, it wasn't fair that she had a monster shut inside of her, it wasn't fair that her sister killed her entire clan. No, life wasn't fair. Especially Sakura's life.

"I'm sorry. I just need to rest. May I be excused?"

Kakashi nodded. Sakura leaped towards her apartment, furiously wiping the angry tears streaming down her face.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **I'm sorry guys, I'm skipping a whole lot of the Naruto plot, they're now in part 3 of the Chuunin exams... One-on-one elimination rounds if you dont get what I mean. The battles won't be exactly like the real ones, but they would be close. I'm going to try to squeeze all preliminary battles into this one, so it may be a little long. Sorry :P

Sakura almost smiled as she and her team headed up to the second level of the arena. She stopped herself in time. On her left, Naruto was shouting about how hyped he was and how much he wanted to fight right away(BELIEVE IT!). Sasuke was raising eyebrows at every girl in the arena, and most of them swooned and called back in high-pitched voices. Although she would prefer to have more serious teammates, she had grown to love these two. (Although she would never admit it.) Her shoulder ached, and she rubbed the sore curse mark that Orochimaru had given her. That was a literal pain in her neck. The creepy snake lord's proposal was tempting, though. Unlimited power. With whatever she had already, unlimited power seemed to be a delicious thought.

The names on the computer started to jumble, and Naruto kept chanting. "C'mon, me, c'mon me, c'mon me, me, me!"

The words came to an absolute stop, and Sakura smirked. Time to show what the members of Squad Seven could do. "**Noooo! It's Sasuke! I was so close!**" Naruto bawled. Sakura shook her head disbelievingly at him and inclined her head at Sasuke.

"Good luck, Uchiha."

Sasuke returned her smirk and jumped down into the arena, cracking his neck as he walked towards Yoroi. Naruto seemed to have got over his emotional breakdown and took up the role of a cheerleader.

"**C'mon Sasuke! Show them your skills! Show them what a future black-op can do! The power of the Uchiha!**"

Sasuke looked like he was going to burst with irritation, but he regained his cool and walked up to Yoroi. The examiner looked at both of them then coughed.

"You've been chosen for the first match. Yoroi Akado and Sasuke Uchiha. Begin."

Sakura leaned forward on the banister and started to read Yoroi's chakra. He was a chakra absorber. Even from her height, she could see snippets of Sasuke's chakra being sucked into Yoroi by his hands.

Yoroi charged at Sasuke and grabbed his head. Sasuke instinctively kicked Yoroi's legs out from under his body, and Yoroi crumpled to the ground, unmoving for several seconds. Sasuke started smirking, thinking that the battle was over.

"Oh no, puny one, it's only just begun." Yoroi's voice rang out. Sasuke's eyes widened when he realised Yoroi's hand grabbing his ankle. Sakura watched as Sasuke's chakra started to drain from his body and he started to scramble away from Yoroi. However, Sasuke was weakened and Yoroi again managed to place his hand on Sasuke's head.

"Ungh... My chakra... What... What are you doing?!"

Yoroi laughed maliciously. "You're only noticing it now?"

Sakura watched, helpless as Sasuke was being squeezed and wrung dry like a wet towel. She could have helped Sasuke, with her stealthy chakra manipulation, no one would notice, but she wanted him to win because he did it, and not anything else. Just when she decided that she should help, Sasuke summoned up enough strength and kicked Yoroi square in the stomach.

"**Get off me!**"

Sakura couldn't see Yoroi's expression through his mask, but she was sure the ninja wasn't smiling. As Yoroi charged at Sasuke, he struggled to get up. Managing to dodge all of Yoroi's attacks, he staggered away to a safe distance.

"**You coward! Get back here! I'm not done!**" Yoroi launched at Sasuke again, who used his sharingan to dodge all incoming attacks. However, Sakura knew that he wouldn't last long. He had to finish Yoroi right away with whatever chakra he had left.

"**Sasuke!**" She yelled. She saw Naruto's shocked expression, then realised that this was the first time that she had ever raised her voice from her cocky tone. She ignored him. "**Finish him off now!**"

Sasuke nodded at her, then turned back to Yoroi.

"You little punk! I'll teach you to turn your back on me!" Yoroi rushed towards Sasuke, but he ducked to the ground and tensed his body on all fours. When Yoroi looked down, Sasuke aimed a vertical kick straight to Yoroi's chest. Yoroi was thrown high up into the air, levitating horizontally above the ground, Sasuke just below him.

"**Hey! **That's MY move!" Sakura looked at Rock Lee, who was complaining about Sasuke taking his 'glory of youth' away from him. Sakura thought back to when Rock Lee had challenged Sasuke to a duel for her hand (Yeah, right, like she'd ever marry Uchiha or Bushy Brows) and had used that move against Sasuke.

"Be thankful Lee. This shows that you are inspiring." At her words, Lee's face completely lit up. She left him blabbering about 'inspiring other youthful beings'.

Sasuke aimed a kick at Yoroi's left side, which he easily blocked, taunting him. Sasuke then did a flip in the air and connected his fist with Yoroi's face. Yoroi cried out in pain and was sent barreling towards the ground.

"**Get back here! I'm not done!**" Sasuke shouted, taunting Yoroi. Sakura watched as the rest of his chakra was concentrated into his foot as he crushed Yoroi to the ground with a final blow to the abdomen.

"**LION BARRAGE!**"

Blood started to seep through Yoroi's mask, and Sakura knew that no matter how much chakra Yoroi had, he could not mend broken bones or internal bleeding.

"**Nice one Sasuke!**"

Sasuke got up shakily and grinned at Naruto, then climbed the steps to join them.

* * *

"The second battle. Zaku Abumi and Shino Aburame. Begin."

Sakura watched the battle intently. Zaku had an explosive type of chakra while Shino's chakra seemed to be like pellets floating all around his body. It was an interesting type of chakra, and one that Sakura was not familiar with. She found herself concentrating more on figuring out Shino's chakra than the battle.

Soon, the chakra moved out of Shino's body, and Sakura raised an eyebrow. Shino's chakra was contained inside beetles that were crawling out of his skin. She watched as an army marched to corner Zaku and Shino started talking. She saw a subtle signal from Shino that led some of the beetles embed themselves in the holes where his sound jutsu erupted from. She nodded her head in approval as Zaku's hands were burst open. Shino Aburamae was one worthy of her respect.

* * *

"The third match. Misumi Tsurugi VS Kankuro. You may begin."

"Why don't I do you a favour and end this battle quickly?" Kankuro called out cockily to Misumi.

"You can't end it if I end it first!" Misumi replied.

Sakura wanted to bash herself. What kind of rebut is that? As she was thinking about the horribly stupid rebuke, she noticed a weird chakra from Kankuro. The bandaged object seemed to have more chakra than him. The bandaged object was even FEEDING chakra to Kankuro! Yet Kankuro seemed to have very little chakra, too little to sustain a life force.

Sakura thought back to her lessons in the academy. What was the term? As the words came to her, she knew exactly what was going on. Puppet Master.

"His neck is broken!" Naruto cried out.

Sakura leaned further forward, watching the bandaged object. "No Naruto. It's not."

Kankuro chose that moment to reveal himself and crush all his opponent's bones. The idiot tried to call it quits, but he had surely uttered his last words.

Sakura knitted her eyebrows together. It would be troublesome if she meets this ninja in the finals...

* * *

The second her name was on the screen, she knew it was going to be an easy fight. She was paired up with Ino Yamanaka, one of Sasuke's weak fangirls. Victory was guaranteed.

"The fourth match. Ino Yamanaka VS Sakura Haruno. Begin."

"**You'll never take Sasuke from me!**" Ino screamed as she ran towards Sakura, kunai raised, ready to attack. Sakura simply sidestepped, and Ino crashed into the wall.

Sakura sighed, then yawned loudly. "If they were to give me an opponent, at least give me someone worthy, not this flowery excuse for a ninja."

Ino's veins pulsed on her forehead as she rushed at Sakura, flailing around, trying to stab her. Sakura just blew on her nails, polishing them on her shirt as she simply sidestepped her attacks with ease.

"Why are you running away? Why won't you fight?"

Sakura wanted to laugh. This girl was actually trying to taunt her even though it was obvious that she could not lay a hand on a Haruno.

"Because any move I make will be your doom. You know Ino, I pity you. You may have won if you had been partnered with that cockroach over there." Sakura replied smoothly, pointing to a dead cockroach at the corner of the arena.

"**You vixen! I'll make you pay!**" Ino launched another series of easily dodged attacks, then started to scream.

"Making me pay by annoying me? That's working."

Ino screamed again and launched yet again. This was really boring Sakura. She jumped away from Ino, then smirked at the panting blonde.

"You want me to attack right? Alright."

Ino instantly raised her kunai, ready to block off an attack, and Sakura laughed inwardly. How little Ino knew about the Harunos! She quickly scanned Ino's chakra, which was full of weak links. She morphed her chakra into a large, solid kunai and jabbed it forcefully into one of the chinks. Ino screamed and crumpled to the ground, unconcious. Sakura smiled.

"**Sakura, that was so cool! You didn't even touch her! Sasuke, did you see that?**" Sakura smiled at his comment. Of course, everyone else could not see chakra, so it would look as if Sakura just used the power of her mind to defeat Ino.

"Of course I did, you idiot! We're watching the same battle!"

Sakura walked back up to the second level, and for the first time in her life, smiled at Naruto and Sasuke.

**A/N:** Okay the rest of the battles later. :D


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